


A House is not a Home

by Grounder3



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Foster Care
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-12 11:55:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5665213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grounder3/pseuds/Grounder3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey had lived in foster care 11 long years, and now at 16, she was having a rough go at life. Her social worker, Leia Organa takes matters into her own hands, opening up her house and home to Rey, the teen may have finally found somewhere she actually belongs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is a little idea I came up with, I don't know what you guys will think of it, and I honestly have no clue where I'm going to take it, but leave me some feedback, if you like it or hate it, and if you do like it, maybe give me some ideas of where to take it.

Rey closed her eyes and leaned her head back to rest on the wall behind her chair. Sitting in her Social Worker’s office was definitely not where she wanted to be right now. The brunette sighed and tried to recall how many times she’d been in this exact position in the past 11 years, it was far too many for anyone’s liking. Finally she heard the door to her social workers office open, and Mrs. Organa peeked her head out and motioned for Rey to come inside. The young girl stood up and made her way into the office, her mind wandering as she thought about what foster home she’d end up in next. She plopped herself down in the chair across from Mrs. Organa’s desk and slouched down, feeling a pain shoot through her side, presumably from the bruised ribs she’d gained from her last foster father, the reason she was in this office now to begin with.

“Rey, it’s good to see you again, even if not for the best reasons.” Mrs. Organa greeted as she sat down behind her desk and logged onto her computer, most likely pulling up Rey’s foster home file.

Rey laughed, somewhat bitterly, “Yeah, I’d say having the shit beat out of me isn’t the best reason to be here right now.” The teen replied. As much as she’d tried to stay positive in the foster system, sometimes things got to be too much for her. Especially since this wasn’t the first time she’d been abused in a foster home.

Her head hung low, and her shoulders sloped down, looking almost defeated. Leia Organa noted all of this as she took Rey’s appearance in. Her eyes glanced over Rey’s being, and she couldn’t help but flinch as her gaze met the prominent black eye on Rey’s face. Leia couldn’t help but feel responsible for Rey’s less than stellar state at the moment, she’d been the one to assign her to that foster home a few weeks prior.

Leia had been working in the social working field for more than 40 years now, and in that time, she didn’t think she’d seen anyone have as rough a go at life as Rey. Being only 16, Rey still had 2 more years in the system, and she’d already been in for 11. In those 11 years, Rey had been in 23 foster homes, practically a record. Leia couldn’t understand why. Rey was an unbelievably sweet girl, she had an unbeatable spirit, and she cared for those around her deeply, even if she sometimes didn’t like to show it.

“I’m sorry Rey. This should never have happened, and I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but if you can I need you to tell me what happened. The police said you weren’t very open to talking when they got to the scene.” Leia asked sincerely, she really did care for the girl’s wellbeing.

Rey sighed and finally brought her gaze up to meet Leia’s. The teen didn’t trust many adults in her life, but Leia had always been one she could count on. As Rey brought her head up, Leia also noticed that besides the black eye, Rey had also sustained a busted lip. Leia scowled and shook her head, wishing she could get her hands on the man who had done this to her.

“Well, I got home from school and walked into the house, and I heard an awful squealing noise, I ran through the kitchen to get to the back yard to see what was going on, and when I got to the window I could see Robert outside, kicking the hell out of his little Labrador. Before I even thought about it, I ran outside and tried to pull him away. That’s when he decided that I was a better target than the poor dog, which I don’t disagree with, but that’s beside the point. That man didn’t have respect for anyone.” Rey explained, showing little emotion as she recalled what had happened a couple hours before.

Once again, Leia flinched, hearing Rey say that she’d rather be beaten than let a dog get the short end of the stick proved to her that Rey was so much better than her situation.

“I’m sorry sweetheart, you didn’t need to go through any of that, you could’ve just called me, I would’ve come to pick you up immediately.” Leia told Rey, leaning forward to keep the young girl’s gaze, hoping to convey that she really meant what she said.

Rey sighed and nodded, “I know Leia, but it was in the moment, I couldn’t stand by and let him keep beating the dog. He would’ve beat him to death, I’m sure of it.” The teen replied to Leia, this time showing some of her emotion. Leia could see in the young girl’s eyes that tears were brimming in her eyes. Leia turned her attention to the computer monitor, knowing that Rey hated anyone seeing her cry. The older woman couldn’t help but think that if the neighbors hadn’t called the cops, that man would’ve very well beat Rey to death too.

“Well, I’m not putting you in another foster home I’m unsure of. You’ve had your fair share of tough breaks, and I’m not letting you go through anymore.” Leia said, determined not to let this girl’s amazing spirit be dulled by the darkness that the world contained so much of.

Rey rolled her eyes at that, and dropped her gaze to the ground again. The teen ran her hands over her pony tails, making sure they were intact, and lost herself in her own thoughts. She just didn’t understand after all these years of waiting for her family to return, that not a single other person on this planet had shown Rey that they actually wanted her around. For anyone else, that would probably be enough to let dark thoughts take over their mind, but Rey was far too stubborn to give up. She knew that somewhere out there, there were people that wanted her around, she was sure of it.

The sound of Leia humming made Rey snap out of her thoughts. Rey looked up to see Leia’s face full of joy, and Rey gave her a confused, scrunching up her nose as she did so.

“What?” Rey questioned the older woman, completely baffled as to why she kept looking at her weird.

“Well, I just had an idea. My husband Han and I still have a valid foster license. Our house isn’t big by any means, but it’s safe, and you’ve known me for years, I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. How about you come live with Han and me? Our son moved away months ago, so we’d love to have someone else in the house.” Leia offered, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

Rey’s eyes widened in surprise, she hadn’t been expecting an offer like that from Leia. Rey considered the offer for only a moment before a small smile broke out on her face, and she gave a small nod.

“Are you sure it won’t be a problem? I don’t want to inconvenience you.” Rey said, still skeptical that Leia had actually offered for her to come live at her house.

“Of course Rey! I’m actually mad at myself for not thinking of this sooner. I’d have to get it approved but I’m almost positive that it will go through just fine. Moving to my house will mean another school change for you though, I know you probably don’t want to hear that.” Leia explained.

Rey shrugged, she hadn’t been at her current school for more than a few weeks, and she’d mainly stuck to herself, so she wasn’t leaving any friends behind.

“I’m cool with changing schools. It’d be nice to just have a safe place to sleep for once. It’s been awhile since I had that.” Rey replied simply, not taking pity on herself in the least.

Leia nodded, “Let me go check with my boss, and if she approves it, we can head there for the night, you’re my last kid to see today anyway.” The older woman said as she got up and headed for the door.

Rey watched her walk out of the room and then let out a choked sob, finally releasing the tears in her eyes that she had been struggling to hold back. She covered her mouth to stifle the sound, and she felt another shooting pain in her side. Tears briefly streamed down the young girls face, but Rey quickly wiped them away and began to pull herself together, unsure of when Leia was going to enter the office again. Rey was still baffled at Leia’s kindness, and her offer to let her live with them. If it was approved, maybe for once in her life, Rey could put down some roots, and actually begin life instead of just being shifted from house to house to house. The teen wondered what it would be like to live in a home, rather than just a house, that was something she’d never experienced.

Just then she heard the door open behind her, and Rey turned around to see Leia, a bright smile on her face.

“She approved it! Let’s get you home to a hot shower, and some good food. I was thinking we could have homemade pizza for dinner, y’know, to celebrate you moving in.” Leia said excitedly.

Rey felt her heart soar, maybe for once in her life she was catching a break.


	2. Dinner with Han

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey meets Han and they're both pleasantly surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this little chapter. I'm awful at writing long chapters but I hope this suffices and you guys enjoy where I'm taking this.

Hours later, Rey and Leia were sitting on the couch in the living room of Leia’s house, watching some show that Rey was barely paying attention to. Instead, the teen was gazing at the pictures that covered the walls. It seemed as though the Organa-Solo’s were big fans of family photos. Pasted on the walls, were photos in all sorts of places, from the Grand Canyon, to the White House. It was obvious to Rey that Leia’s son was also a big part of her life, because he was the main focus on most of the pictures as well.

Leia noticed the young girl looking around at all the pictures, and saw that the girl had a rather blank expression. The older woman felt herself frown. Rey probably didn’t have any pictures of herself as a child, and she sure as hell didn’t have a family photo to keep with her.

The front door opening broke Leia out of her train of thought and she glanced at Rey, noticing the young girl tense up and whip around to look at who was coming through the door. Leia knew it was Han, and she watched curiously as Rey eyed Han distrustfully. The poor girl had been hurt far too many times, so Leia could hardly blame her. Han put down his briefcase by the door and took of his coat before turning around to face the living room. He took a few steps before he noticed Rey sitting on the couch, and stopped mid step.

“Leia, who is this?” Han asked rather gruffly. Leia couldn’t help but smile at her husband’s less than enthusiastic greeting.

“Han, honey, this is Rey. She is going to stay with us for a while.” Leia told Han, knowing that he would require a full explanation as soon as the younger girl went to bed.

Han simply nodded, “Well, hello Rey. I’m Han. You can call me Han.” The older man introduced himself.

Rey squinted her eyes, obviously not sure what to think of Han, but gave a small nod before turning back to the television.

Han glanced over at Leia, giving her a _‘well isn’t she warm’_ look, before turning to go to the kitchen. Leia shook her head, and glanced to make sure Rey would be alright on her own, before she got up and went to the kitchen with Han. As soon as she entered the kitchen, Han bombarded her.  

“Well, thanks for the heads up Leia, you could’ve told me you’d taken in a stray before I got home. Where’d you even find that one? She looks like she got in a damn bar fight.” Han said, frustrated.

Leia sighed, knowing that Han didn’t mean what he was saying, he was just angry that she hadn’t given him the news that she’d be taking Rey home.

“I’m sorry sweetheart. It was last minute, but she just needs somewhere safe to stay for a little while. She hasn’t had the best luck with foster homes. The ‘bar fight’ injuries you’re talking about are really from her last foster father. Her ribs are bruised, she has a black eye, and a busted lip.” Leia explained to Han, hoping his harshness would simmer down once he found out the truth.

As Leia expected, she saw Han’s eyes soften just a touch, and she felt her heart warm. Though he didn’t like to show it, Han was an emotional man, and he hated what kids in the foster system have to go through. Han finally nodded, and then they both set to work making dinner. Leia had figured homemade pizza would be the quickest and easiest thing to make, and since she didn’t know what food Rey liked yet, she figured pizza was a safe bet.

In the other room, Rey listened as Han asked Leia about her. The young girl flinched when she heard Han call her a stray. Though that may be an accurate word to describe her, Rey still didn’t like hearing it. It made her sound helpless and weak, and that was not something she ever wanted to be mistaken for. After a few more seconds of hushed conversation that Rey couldn’t quite make out, the teen heard cabinets being opened and closed and pans clanging. The teen’s stomach rumbled, and this caused Rey to think back to when her last full meal had been. Realizing that she hadn’t eaten anything besides a sandwich from her school’s cafeteria in the past two days, Rey felt her stomach rumble even more. The brunette scowled and tried to focus on the television again.

Finally after what felt like an eternity to Rey, but was maybe only 45 minutes, the teen heard Leia call out that the pizza was ready. Rey jumped up but then realized she may look to eager for food if she rushed in. Instead of walking in quickly like she wanted, Rey made her way slowly into the kitchen, and sat down at the table, grimacing at the pain in her side. Rey briefly wondered if her ribs were actually broken rather than bruised, but refused to let herself think about it. Rey watched from the table as Han and Leia made their way around the kitchen, cleaning and throwing some dishes into the sink before both grabbing a pans with pizzas sitting precariously on top.

The two made their way and joined Rey at the table, Leia giving the teen a small smile.

“Alright, I’ll cut them. We have pepperoni or Hawaiian, which kind do you want Rey?” Han asked.

Rey shrugged, not really making eye contact. Han sighed and then scooped up one of each slice and plopping them onto her plate. Han distributed pizza to his and Leia’s plates and then they all dug in. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Leia asked about Han’s day.

“Han, how is the building going on that new plane? Has the first prototype been finished yet?” Leia questioned.

Hearing the word plane, Rey perked up. From a young age, aircrafts had always interested her. Even through the foster system, Rey managed to get her hands on any book and manual about planes that she could. She knew most everything about almost any plane that someone could name. Without thinking about it, Rey turned to Han.

“What aircraft is it that you’re building?” Rey asked the older man.

Han turned to Rey, surprised at the question because of Rey’s previous silence. He gave the young girl a skeptical glance before answering.

“We’re working on a BWB. It’s a new style of airplane, no one has really tried this prototype before, and so my team is working hard to get it up and running.” Han explained, figuring the girl had no idea what he was talking about.

Rey looked at the man wide-eyed, “Wait, wait. You’re Han Solo of Kittyhawk Aircrafts? Your team is working on a BWB? Like an actual Blended Wing Body Aircraft? That is amazing. I’d heard news that you guys were looking into building it, but I didn’t know if you would or not. The flow control and airfoil concepts on BWB’s are incredible.” Rey answered excitedly.

Han sat at the table dumbfounded. The older man looked at Rey in shock, he hadn’t expected her to know anything about aircrafts. Instead the girl had mentioned airfoil concepts, one of the most complicated concepts in the aircraft field. Han finally looked at his wife, hoping some sort of explanation would be found there, but instead his gaze was met with that of an equally surprised expression.

The older man, finding no explanation in Leia’s eyes, finally turned back to Rey, who looked at him expectantly.

“Uh, yeah. The airfoil concepts are impressive, but how the hell did you know that? You’re like, what, 16?” Han questioned the young girl.

Rey rolled her eyes, “I taught myself. I want to go to flight school after I graduate and I figure if I can’t fly a plane right now, the least I can do is learn about airplanes. So I’ve done my research. In fact, I probably know quite a bit more than those college interns that your company hires.” The teen stated simply, continuing to eat her pizza while explaining.

Han continued looking at the girl for a moment, before letting out a baffled ‘huh.’ Leia couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t often that someone left Han speechless, and though Rey probably couldn’t tell, Han was extremely impressed with the young girl. While the news of Rey’s love of airplanes was new to her, Leia was excited to see that Rey may just fit in here in her home more than she’d originally planned.


End file.
